Running in Circles
by Apples200
Summary: Sort of AU Linstead. Picking up from 4x22. I do not own Chicago PD or any of its characters.
1. Chapter 1

So, this is my first published Linstead fanfic... let me know what you think of the first chapter and if I should continue.

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 **This story is sort of AU. Picking up from 4x22 Erin decides she needs a change and takes a job out of Chicago. Jay is forced to move on, but 2 years on the pair find themselves running in the same circles once more.**

 **...**

Jay rooted through the cupboard for a clean mug, his frustration mounting as his search continued but his efforts came to no reward as he sighed and picked up one of the many dirty mugs that sat in the sink.

"You know it wont kill people to clean up after themselves" Jay muttered as Burgess walked into the kitchen.

"Someone's chipper this morning" she quipped as she pushed her mug under his nose for a refill. Jay gave her half a smile before pouring the hot coffee into her mug and then slowly into his. He then made his way to the table pushing away the stack of papers and leaflets to make space for his and Burgess' mugs.

"Did you hear that Deputy Chief Lowe is stepping down? Some scandal involving him and some recruit in the Academy, Adam didn't give me a name but he said his dad heard Lowe was paying for every expense the recruit had as well as paying for flights for him to join Lowe in his house on Lake Michigan."

"Wait, the recruit was a guy? Doesn't Lowe have a wife and kids?"

Burgess nodded her head and smirked "scandalous"

"Wow. Any idea who's gonna takeover?"

"No idea, Adam's dad thinks they're going to look out of state for a replacement."

Jay nodded his head, it never ceased to amaze him the amount of drama that could go on in one city. He sipped at his coffee as he and Burgess sat in silence both enjoying the midmorning peace on an unusually quiet day.

"Hey..." Atwater announced as he and Adam burst through the door "... you guys remember that ex- narc we caught a few months back?"

"The one who was dealing from an ice-cream truck in the park?" Jay queried recalling the peculiar case the unit had worked on.

"That's the one. We just bumped into him in the convenience store 'round the block. Buying ice-creams."

Burgess made a face " Why isn't he in prison?"

"He got released after 60 days due to overcrowding." Ruzek revealed as Jay shook his head "I didn't sleep for 2 days doing surveillance on that guy and he's out after 60 days?!"

"Protect and serve guys" Ruzek said jokingly as the group chuckled.

"Hey guys..." Upton said knocking on the door "... we got something". With that the relaxed atmosphere amongst the group took a sharp turn as they all filed into the bullpen sitting at their respective desks.

"Alright..." Voight announced as pulled the board out into the middle of the room sticking a mugshot of a middle aged man in the centre "Billy Fox, 46, wanted for the murder of 4 people including his wife, Gina 45, and brother Robert Fox ,43. The believed murder weapon for the first murder was recovered from his home in Grand Rapids."

"Grand Rapids as in, Michigan?" Ruzek questioned with confusion.

"Fox was interviewed by Grand Rapids Police the morning after the murder of his wife and next door neighbour John Foley ,50, but there was nothing linking him to the crime scene, the high school gym, it wasn't until the murder of his brother and a gas station employee Cathy DeLuca ,32, just north of South Bend did Police suspect Fox but by that time Fox was MIA..."

Upton rose from her desk, sticking up four individual photos of the victims on the board "... Police raided his home where they uncovered a meat cleaver and a steak knife with traces of both his wife's and his neighbour's blood."

Ruzek shook his head in confusion " I'm sorry, as intriguing as this is – why are hearing about this? Shouldn't this be for the Grand Rapids departments to deal with?"

"Fox and his wife owned properties in Chicago, 4 to be exact..." Voight added.

"Michigan Police have reason to believe he could have crossed state lines and is in Chicago. Given the connections and the fact Fox' father lives just outside the city."

"We heading the case?" Al queried as Voight shook his head " Superintendent in Michigan is sending members from his intelligence unit in Detroit and Head of Intelligence in Grand Rapids, we'll co-ordinate with them when they get here. Should be this evening."

"Good, I can't wait to meet the bozo who let the suspect cross not one but 2 state lines...' Ruzek quipped as he stood up from his desk.

"Until then, I want background checks on all victims and on all 4 of the properties owned by the Fox's..." Voight ordered before turning to Jay "Jay you're with me, we have to go tell a man his son is dead and his other son is number one suspect . Al you take point until we're back."

Jay nodded his head, grabbing his coat before following Voight down the stairs and into the yard where Voight made a beeline for his new GMC Sierra.

...

"You know much about the Michigan crew?" Jay asked, in an attempt to make conversation as they entered the 22nd minute of sheer silence.

"I know they're experienced, know their stuff."

Jay nodded his head slowly, keeping his eyes on the road as they entered another period of silence. Voight was a man of few words but Jay had felt their relationship had improved in the past 2 years however on this occasion Jay couldn't come up a topic to hold a conversation and he got the feeling Voight had little interest in having one.

After 90 minutes of sheer silence Voight came to a slow stop outside a redbrick 3 story house. He peered out the windscreen before turning to Jay, that's the house, he said pointing to the well-kept house in front of them.

"So what do we say? Fox could be in there. Do we search the house?"

"We've got no warrant, no plan, we are going to in there and notify that man that his son has passed and that the case is in the hands of the Grand Rapids Police Department. I'll do a scan around the grounds while you're in there."

Jay knew not to argue his boss' orders and stepped out of the car. It was a cool August afternoon as he strolled casually up the steps of the porch and rang the door bell before stepping back, looking over his shoulder giving Voight the all clear as an elderly man approached the other side of the door. He opened it slowly, fully taking in Jay's appearance as he did so.

"Yes." He said hesitantly

"Mr Fox. Roy Fox?"

"Yes. That's me. Can I help you?"

Jay stepped forward "Mr Fox, I'm detective Halstead with the CDP, I need to speak to you about your son."

The elderly man sighed as he opened the door a little more "which one?"

"Robert"

"You better come in so son..." Mr Fox stepped back allowing Jay to enter the open plan living room and kitchen. It was a well kept house with the radio on in the background and there was something cooking in the oven as the aroma engulfed the home.

"I can't offer much, I haven't been to the store yet." Mr Fox said as he took a seat at the kitchen table.

"That's alright..." Jay sighed "... Mr Fox, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this but your son's body was discovered at a gas station in Indiana, its looking like he was murdered."

Jay hated this part of the job – having to tell someone that their loved one was gone and in such a brutal way. On this occasion, the colour disappeared from the mourning father's face as he struggled to find the words.

"Do.. do... do they know who did it? Have they told Billy yet?"

"I'm sorry sir, but it seems your son Billy is the main suspect so if you have heard from him or he makes contact we need you to tell us..." Jay looked around the room "... is there anyone I could call for you? A neighbour or someone?"

"My wife went out a few hours ago, she should be back soon."

Jay nodded his head slowly "Again, I am so sorry for your loss. If you or your wife have any questions at all please call the district and uh..." he searched his pockets for a pen before scribbling something down on a napkin "... ask for me, Detective Halstead." He slid the napkin in the direction of Mr Fox before rising to his feet. The old man attempted to rise to his feet but Jay urged him not to, insisting he would see himself out. The grieving father didn't protest and only watched as Jay strolled out of his house.

Jay scanned his surroundings as he made his way back to the waiting vehicle. He hopped in quickly as Voight greeted him with an anxious look.

"How'd it go?"

Jay shrugged his shoulders "Something tells me I wasn't the first to tell him his son was dead... you see anything?"

"Basement windows are closed up, gonna get an unmarked car to sit on the house, see if there's any activity."

Jay nodded his head in agreement as the car started back up and they began their journey back into the city.

...

It was just after 6 when the car pulled into the yard of the district. Jay was exhausted but knew work was only beginning. Al had called Voight on the way home to say that the crew from Michigan had arrived and were getting set up, the head of the crew wanted to get to work fast and that Billy Fox's picture and license plate number were being released to all media outlets.

Voight was slow pulling into the yard which Jay found unusual, but on this occasion Voight came to a slowly stop, undid his belt even slower and clambered out of the car with Jay following behind. Jay could feel Voight's stares on his back as he made his way up the steps.

"Look Jay..." Voight exhaled, finally breaking the uneasy silence "... there's a reason I took you with me down there today and it wasn't for your ability to notify families that their loved one is dead."

Jay squinted in confusion, the two lingering on the steps awkwardly with the light of the day fading rapidly.

"Maybe I should have told you earlier but-"

"Ah Sergeant Voight!" a booming voice announced from the top step. Voight looked up to see the tall man standing in front of him and Jay "Sergeant Hayes, welcome. I hope you're settling in ok... this is Detective Halstead, he'll be working the case with us."

The Sergeant held out his hand in front of Jay to shake his had, which Jay duly did "Halstead, I'm Sergeant Hayes and this is my head of Intelligence..." he opened his body out to make way for the person standing behind him. It took Jay a moment to register but the moment she lifted her head and revealed her hazel eyes Jay's body froze, he couldn't feel a thing. It was as if someone had taken the muscles from his body and replaced them with stone.

"Erin..." he squeaked.

"That's right..." the Sergeant said, completely unaware of the tense atmosphere he was surrounded by "...Erin Lindsay."

...

So yeah, let me know what you think and if I should continue! Thanks


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for the feedback. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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"We've got check points on all the major routes in and out of the city. State police are also patrolling the stretch from South Bend to the Illinois boarder where it's believed Fox travelled after committing the crime at the gas station."

"What about family? Any kids?"

"Billy and Gina Fox had no children, Robert Fox had 2 but they live in Detroit with their mother. They've been notified."

"Do we know why this guy has killed his wife, brother, neighbour and some randomer in a gas station?"

"A few weeks ago, Grand Rapids police followed up on a call that Fox and his wife got into a heated argument and that they could hear the screaming from down the street but when our guys got to the house, Gina denied any dispute."

"Then on Tuesday night, the night before the murder of Gina and the neighbour, it was confirmed by 4 witnesses that Gina and Billy had another dispute this time broken up by our 2nd victim Mr Foley... the next time we saw Gina and Mr Foley was when 2 high school kids came across their bodies dumped behind the dumpster at the back entrance to the gym. They both had lacerations to the head and we're waiting for pathology to confirm but it looks like Mr Foley was strangled before the blow to his head."

"So Fox gets back at Foley for interfering with family business?"

"You don't kill a guy for trying to break up a fight."

"Unless there was more to it, an affair between Gina and Mr Foley?"

"But where does the brother come into it?"

"CCTV footage from the convenience store two blocks from Robert Fox's house show Robert and Gina purchasing condoms and a bottle of vodka a few days before the murder."

"Ok so Gina and Robert Fox are having an affair, Billy finds out and confronts Gina, the argument escalates and Mr Foley tries to break it up, Fox gets pissed and kills his wife and his neighbour. He then heads south to find his brother and that's where the innocent cashier in the gas station gets caught up?"

"We got motive there for sure."

Jay couldn't even focus on the discussion going on around him all he could look at was her. Her long hair that was tucked behind her ears revealing her near perfect face. The look of intent and concentration on her face was a look he hadn't seen for so long. Every move she made suddenly felt so familiar to him, her voice fell so softly on his ears. He was frozen on her and he wasn't the only one aware of it.

"Jay, a moment..." Voight requested wagging his finger in Jay's direction. Jay obliged, rising to his feet catching her trailing eyes in the corner of his eye as he made his way into Voight's office, shutting the door behind him.

Voight was silent for a moment. His arms folded and exterior sullen "Can I trust you to work this case or do I need to bench you?"

"I'm all good" Jay asked, his tone reserved.

"I'm sure she was the last person you expected to walk through that door. I need to know if you can get your head on straight and work this case with her."

Jay rose to his feet, feeling somewhat agitated "I told you, I'm good."

Voight nodded his head "Alright then."

Jay couldn't wait to get out of that office only to be met by the stares of the 15 people in the room. He kept his head down though to avoid her glances and waited for orders to be given.

"Ruzek and Atwater I want you to go the apartment Fox owned, down by the river. Ask the tenants last time they heard from him, method of payment. Anything." Voight ordered before turning to Erin "Send two of your crew with Al back down to the fathers place. See if you can get anything out of him."

Erin nodded her head, ordering two detectives to follow Al down the hallway. She turned in the direction of Jay and Upton "We're going to head down town where we have all trains and buses being monitored, send out patrols to all bus terminuses and trains stations with routes out of the city. We can monitor the situation from down town. Right Voight?"

Voight nodded his head "We got the vans loaded and ready to go. This guy has killed his wife, brother, neighbour and an innocent person he is dangerous, we need to move fast."

The rest of the orders were handed out and slowly the area cleared out leaving Erin hanging back, she waited for Jay to emerge from the bathroom before cutting across his path.

"Hey..." she called out gently as he reluctantly acknowledged her "... when all this settles down can we find a time to talk?"

Jay scoffed "You had two years to pick up the phone and call Erin. Just focus on the job" he brushed past her quickly completely ignoring the look of shock on her face. She took a moment before composing herself, swallowing the pain before making her way down the stairs and into the parked SVU.

...

"So, you wanna talk about it?" Upton asked in an attempt to break the silence between her and Jay.

"No." He said bluntly hoping that would be the end of it but his partner was persistent.

"Jay I have been your partner for almost 2 years. I have seen the lowest of your lows especially after she left. Surely you have something you want to say about it."

Jay sighed as he indicated left following the parade of police cars "Just focus on the case."

Haley sighed, she examined his profile; his brow creased and figure tense. She could tell he was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode. She tried to find the right words to comfort him, to let him know that she was there for him but she couldn't and she knew whatever she had to say he wouldn't listen to because Erin was back and that changed everything.

" _We've got reports of a male matching the description of Billy Fox at Union Station. Wearing black slacks and a white button up shirt_ " The message came in on the radio as Jay's interest suddenly peaked "We're 3 blocks out we're on it..."

Erin turned to Voight after hearing the response from Jay "Union station is a maze, this guy is tweaked more than likely armed and with no procedure plan in place, if we spook him we could lose him or he could cause even more damage."

"Your call, tell him to fall back."

Erin nodded her head slowly speaking into her radio "This is detective Lindsay, all officers are to stick to original plan, do not pursue suspect. I repeat do not pursue suspect."

Upton looked over at Jay who continued driving in the direction of Union station "Jay she said fall back."

Jay pushed down on the accelerator as his reply as Upton looked over in disgust "Jay, slow down!"

"Haley if the guy is in Union Station then we need to hit Union!"

"The order was to stick to original plan!"

Jay brushed her off completely as he pulled up outside of the station, jumping out of the car with his gun in his grasp. Haley followed behind grabbing her radio "This is Detective Upton, Detective Halstead is in Union Station in pursuit of Billy Fox. He is heading north towards platforms 5 and 6. He is armed."

Voight curled his fingers as he turned the car at speed "This is Detective Lindsay we are on route to Union Station, hold your fire."

Jay barrelled down the hallway at Union Station when a suspicious character caught his eye. Button up shirt, Jay thought to himself as he locked eyes with the man, instantly the man swivelled away from the line he was in and began sprinting down the corridor away from Jay "Suspect is running North towards platform 5" Jay screamed into his radio as the rest of the crew arrived at the station, Erin was first out of the car and began the descent through the crowds making her way to the platform.

Jay continued the chase onto the platform trying his best to dodge the streams of people making their way off the train. Jay never lost view of the suspect who ducked onto the waiting train with Erin following not far behind "He's on the train."

"Jay hold your fire" she screamed as she jumped onto the train, running through the carriages. The suspect continued his sprint through the carriages pulling pieces of luggage behind him in an attempt to trip Jay up but the limber Detective managed to avoid most of the objects thrown his way.

Erin eventually caught up with her ex-partner in the same carriage when the suspect made it to the end of the carriage leaving him with two options- surrender or leave the carriage where an army of officers awaited him. He looked back at Jay who had his gun pointed in his direction, he decided to take his chances and jumped out the carriage. Jay picked up the pace but unfortunately the doors closed just in front of him and the train began to move.

"Damn it!" he roared trying to see out the window as the train moved further and further away from the station. He hit the closed door in frustration as Erin ran up behind him. He couldn't even look at her as he knew she was furious.

"I told you to fall back" she said quietly, rage flowing through her veins "there was a plan in place."

Jay tried his best to regain his breath "I nearly had him."

"But you didn't" she snapped at him, making her way back down the carriage. She walked to the opposite end of the carriage when a voice emerged on the overhead " _Attention customers, this is the non stop train to Wisconsin Dells. Estimated time of arrival is 2:30am."_ Erin groaned to herself as she took a seat at one of the many empty tables, removing her vest and ear piece. She kept her head down as to avoid eye contact with Jay who was still standing at the other end of the carriage. She was still trying to regain her breath when her phone rang.

"Detective Lowe, I –" she was cut off immediately as Jay watched her from a distance. He could tell by the look on her face she was in hot water. All she did was nod her head every few seconds, not even attempting to speak.

...

Jay eventually made his way in her direction, with two cups of coffee in his hands. She barely looked up at him as he placed one of the cups in front of her along with a bar of chocolate.

"It was all they had..." he said as he reluctantly took a seat across from her "I spoke to Voight, they caught him. He jumped the tracks but Upton took him down, shot to the abdomen he's in surgery but they said he'll survive. The next train back to Chicago isn't til morning so Voight will have a car waiting for us at the station to take us back."

Erin nodded her head, continuing to stare out the window into complete darkness.

Jay watched her, she looked exhausted, like she had nothing left to give. He wanted to say something to her but felt nothing was going to be the right thing to say.

"I should have called you myself to let you know I was coming" she admitted, taking her eyes away from the window and onto him.

"You just caught me off guard. Of all the people you were the last one I expected to see today... and I lost my head, I should have followed your orders. I'm sorry."

Erin sighed "We got him, that's all that matters right? I'm just used to following a procedure, I haven't done it that way in a long time."

Jay gave a little smile "What way's that?"

"The way we used to do things."

"Things change I guess..."

Erin rested her head against the window, the adrenaline rush slowly winding down "Yeah I guess they do."

...

 **Thanks for reading, please review so I know what you think and hopefully I'll have the next chapter up in a day or two**!


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